Inking mechanism for rotary intaglio printing machines



Nov. 9, 1937. R. A. KRAHMER 2,098,750

INKING MECHANISM FOR ROTARY INTAGLIO PRINTING MACHINES Filed April 4, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented Nov. 9,1937

UNITED STATES INKING MECHANISM FOR ROTARY' EN- TAGLIO PRINTING MACHINES Richard A. Krahmer, Yonkers, N. Y., assignor to R. Hoe & Co., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 4, 1935, Serial No. 12,733 13 Claims. (or. 101-163) This invention relates to doctor blade mechanism for printing machines and more particularly to a doctor blade wiping device for use with such mechanisms. 1

In rotary intaglio printing machines, a doctor blade is used to remove surplus ink from the surface of the printing cylinder. The blade is usual- 1y reciprocated lengthwise on the cylinder and as it reciprocates, ink adhering thereon is carried m beyond and falls from the end of the doctor blade outside of the fountain where it must be caught and returned.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a blade wiping device which will obviate the above disadvantage by removing the ink from the doctor blade and its holder before any ink adhering thereto reaches the end of the fountain.

Another object is to provide a doctor blade mechanism having included in its structure a wiping device adapted to engage and wipe a doctor blade as the same is reciprocated along a printing cylinder, and before the wiped portion of the blade passes the end of the fountain, without interfering with the eiilcient operation of the mechanism.

A further object of this invention is to provide a doctor blade wiping device for the above purpose, which is adapted to maintain a blade wiper in close wiping contact with the blade from a point closely adjacent the point of contact of the blade upon the cylinder and is resiliently held in such position whereby the blade will be free to move and be maintained in proper engagement with the cylinder. r

A still further object of this invention is to provide in a doctor blade wiping device a substantially universal movement permitting mounting for the wiper whereby it will adapt itselii to the form and position of the blade as it is pressed into contact therewith by suitably provided resilient means.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a doctor blade mechanism of generally improved construction, whereby the device will be simple, durable and inexpensive in construction, as well as convenient, practical, serviceable and eficient in its use.

v With the foregoing and other objects in View illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

wherein:

Figure 1 is an end view of a part of a rotary intaglio printing machine having doctor blade wiping mechanism embodying the features of this 5 invention, certain elements thereof being shown in section indicated by the arrows ll of Fig- Figure 2 is a plan view partly broken away showing portions of the machine shown in Figure 1, 10 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrow 2;

FigureB is an enlarged sectional view-of a portion of Figure 1, as seen in the direction of arrow 3 of Figure 2, to particularly show the wiping l5 device of this invention;

Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of the wiping device shown in Figure 3; and

Figure 5, is an enlarged sectional view of the wiping device taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

The mechanism selected to illustrate the features of this invention, the pertinent parts of which are shown in Figures 1 and 2, includes anink'reservoir or fountain ii, in which a printing cylinder it rotates and is partially immersed in 25 the ink therein, and a doctor blade i3 clamped in a holder M which is held by arms i5 pivctally mounted in brackets it. Suitable means is proyided to maintain the doctor blade E3 in close engagement with the cylinder 92 to cause itto 30 remove surplus ink from the cylinders surface, and is herein illustrated as. a pair of cams i'i fastened to a shaft 0? rotatably supported in the brackets it and actuated by a handle i8, which is also secured to the shaft ill, the said 35 cams i? being operatively engaged with the arms B5 to move same when desired, as will appear here inafter.

The bracket it is mounted upon a table it and preferably the arrangement is such that it may be as adjusted transversely of the table toward and away from the cylinder by a hand wheel 2! through the use of a threaded spindle 22 in cooperation with internal threads provided in the baseofthe bracket id. The table 59 is slidably mounted for longitudinal movement relatively to the cylinder 62, upon a standard 23, being guided in its movements, by cooperating ways it. A p

' crank disc 25 rotatable by means of a shaft 26,

which is connected in a suitable manner to a driven part of the machine is adapted to reciprocate the table it due to its connection therewith through a link 2?. The reciprocation of the table it moves the doctor blade i3 longitudinally back and forth upon the cylinder 52.

By the use of the above described parts, excess ink is removed from the surface of the cylinder l2 leaving its etched portions suitably supplied with ink, whereby the impressions or design thereon will be printed upon a web 28 passing between the cylinder 'l2 and an impression cylinder 29. A suitable ink guard 3| extending lengthwise of the holder I4 is provided to prevent the surplus ink removed'from the cylinder l2 from creeping up the holder and dropping over the adjacent edge 32 of the fountain I. The ink guard 3| is herein illustrated as being a substantially flexible blade 33 extending from a bar 34 secured to the adjacent fountain edge 32 and overhanging it to direct any ink collected thereby back into the fountain.

In its back and forth travel longitudinally of the cylinder I2, each end of the doctor blade l3 passes beyond the end of the cylinder. Surplus ink adhering to the underside of the blade I3 is carried beyond and flows over the end of the cylinder and is thrown off by centrifugal force on the adjacent machine parts. To obviate this and other disadvantages incident to this action, the means herein disclosed is provided to wipe the ink from the doctor blade l3 as it is reciprocated and so as to prevent it from reaching the end of the cylinder.

The preferred form of the invention includes a doctor blade wiper 35, a holder 36 for the doctor wiper 35, and resilient means 31 to maintain the doctor wiper 35 in wiping contact with the blade I3. There is further provided an ink receiving tray 33 at each end of the cylinder to receive any surplus ink that may pass either of the wipers 35 should they fail to thoroughly wipe the blade |3 due to wear or other inadvertent causes. Each tray 33 is provided with a side wall 39 to which the wiper 35 and its holder is swingably and slidably mounted, another side wall 4|, a back wall 42, and a bottom wall 43, herein shown having screws 44 passing therethrough and into a part of the fountain to secure the tray and wiper parts to the machine. The other end 45 of the tray is open and abutted against the bar 34- and a part 46 extending along the same. An opening 41 is provided in the wall 39 through which any ink received by the tray 33 may flow back into the ink fountain The holder 36 is preferably formed from sheet metal bent into a U-shape in cross section and the wiper 35 preferably made of rawhide or the like is disposed between the side arms thereof. A plate 43 is disposed against one side arm of the holder 36 and screws 49 and 5| are passed through the plate 43, the holder 36 and the wiper 35 and threaded into the tray side wall 39 to support the holder thereagainst. The screws 49 and 5| are shouldered screws whereby the holder 36 is snugly held against the wall 39 but not clamped thereto, being free to swing and to slide to dispose the wiper 35 into proper engagement with the doctor blade l2 under the urge of the leaf spring 31 which is secured to the side wall 33 by screws 53 andhas its springable free end 52 in engagement with the base 55 of the holder 36. v

To permit the swinging and sliding of the holder 36 with the wiper 35 they are each provided with an elongated opening 56 whose long axis is substantially parallel to the base 55 of the holder 36 and through which the screw 49 extends. Theopening 56 permits swinging of, the holder 36 and wiper 35 toward and away from the blade I 3 about the screw "as a pivot and also permits sliding of these parts to and from the cylinder. An enlarged opening 51 is provided in the wiper 35 and holder 36 which has its long axis at an angle to the base 55, the angle being such that one of the long sides 58 of the opening 51 is engaged by the screw 5| and acts therewith to cam the angularly formed blade engaging surface 53 of the wiper 35 into close contact with the undersurface of the doctor blade l3 and its point 6| substantially at the edge of the blade in contact with a bridge piece 50 secured to an overhanging ink guard 60, which in turn is attached to means forming a part of each periphery of the cylinder I2, is particularly adapted to support the doctor blade across the gap beyond the adjacent end of the cylinder. The ink guards 60 are designed and adapted to prevent ink thrown from the end of the cylinder while rotating, from reaching the outside of the machine. The resilient member or spring 31 by contact with the base 55 of the holder 36 constantly urges the wiper 35 into contact with the blade |3 along its undersurface, and due to the arrangement of the openings 56 and 5Iand the cooperation therewith of the screws 49 and 5| respectively, the urging action of thespring end 52 directs the wiper 35 upwardly and forwardly into such position.

By the provision of one of the above described doctor wipers adjacent to each end of the cylinder l2, the reciprocating doctor blade I3 is wiped and the surplus ink thereon collected fromthe cylinder I2 is removed before it reaches the cylinder end. The removed ink is thus prevented be embodied in other specific forms without de-,

parting from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and it will be further understood thateach and every novel feature and combination present in or possessed by the mechanism herein disclosed forms a part of the invention included in this application.

What I claim is:

1. In a rotary intaglio printing machine, a flexible doctor blade adapted to reciprocate longitudinally along and in contact with the peripheral surface of a printing cylinder, .3. blade wiper mountedfor free movements toward the blade and transversely to the direction of movement of the blade to engage the surface of said blade, and means to resiliently press said-wiper against said blade.

2. In a rotary intaglio printing machine, a doctor blade adapted to reciprocate longitudinally along and in contact with the peripheral surface of a printing cylinder, blade wiping means at each end of the cylinder to engage said blade along its surface from a point closely adjacent a point of contact of the blade on the cylinder, and. means to urge said wiping means adjacent its point of contact with the cylinder,

means to urge said wiping means against said blade, and means to cam said wiping means upwardly and forwardly when urged against said blade.

4. In a rotary intaglio printing machine, a doctor blade adapted to reciprocate longitudinally along and in contact withthe peripheral surface of a printing cylinder, blade wiping means to engage the undersurface of said blade including a part having a surface extending across said blade and terminating in a point, said part being mounted for swinging and sliding movement toward and across said blade to present said Surface against said blade and said point adjacent the edge of said blade in contact with the cylinder.

5. In a rotary intaglio printing machine, a doctor blade adapted to reciprocate longitudinally along and in contact with the peripheral surface of a printing cylinder, blade wiping means to engage the undersurface of said blade including a part having a surface extending across said blade and terminating in a point, said part being mounted for swinging and sliding movement toward and across said blade to present said surface against said blade and said point adjacent the edge of said blade in contact with the cylinder, and means to constantly urge said blade wiping means into substantially close contact with said blade.

6. In a rotary intaglio printing machine, a doctor blade wiping device, a blade engaging wiper part having elongated openings therein. means passing through said openings to secure said part to a stationary member, one of these openings in said part being disposed with its long axis at an angle to the other, and means tending to swing said part upwardly about one of said securing means whereby the other of said securing means will cooperate with a. wall of the angularly disposed opening to slide said part forwardly.

'7. In a rotary intaglio printing machine, a flexible doctor blade, means to reciprocate said doctor blade along the surface of a printing cylinder, wipers mounted for free movements toward the undersurface of the blade and transversely to the direction of movement of said blade to engage the same adjacent its points of contact with the cylinder to wipe the blade as it is reciprocated, and springs to maintain the wipers in such engagement.

8. In a rotary intaglio printing machine, a

flexible doctor blade, means to reciprocate said doctor blade along the surface of a printing cylinder, a blade wiper mounted for movements toward the blade and transversely to the direction of movement of said blade to engage the 5 undersurface of said blade adjacent its points of contact with the cylinder to wipe the blade as it is reciprocated, and means to constantly urge said wiper into its movable positions.

9. In a rotary intaglio printing machine, a

doctor blade, means to reciprocate said doctor blade along the surface of a printing cylinder, means engaging the undersurface of said blade adjacent its point of contact with the cylinder to wipe the same as it is reciprocated, and means to urge said blade wiping means upwardly against said blade and forwardly toward the point of contact of said blade with the cylinder.

10. In a. rotary intaglio printing machine, a

doctor blade wiper, a wiper part adapted to engage the undersurface of a doctor blade, a spring adapted to urge said part into such engagement, and'means to secure said part to a stationaryvmember including means to cam said part forwardly when it is urged against said blade by said spring. I

11. In a rotary intaglio printing machine, a doctor blade wiper, a wiper part adapted to engage the undersurface of a doctor blade, a spring adapted to urge'said part into engagement,

means passing through an opening in said part to secure it to a stationary member, the opening in said part being elongated and having its long axis disposed at an angle, said securing means cooperating with the angularly disposed walls of the opening in said part to cam said part forwardly when it is urged against said blade by said spring. 12. In a rotary intaglio printing machine, a

printing cylinder, an ink reservoir in which said 40 cylinder rotates, a flexible doctor blade in engagement with said cylinder, means to reciprocate said doctor blade along said cylinder lengthwise thereof, a member freely movable into engagement with the undersurface of said doctor blade adjacent its point of contact with said cylinder whereby it will follow the blade during movement thereof, and resilient means to press -'said member against said blade, whereby said blade is wiped by said member as it is reciprocated.

13. In a rotary intaglio printing machine, a printing cylinder, an ink reservoir in which said cylinder rotates; a doctor blade in engagement with said cylinder, means to reciprocate said doctor blade along said cylinder lengthwise thereof, a member in engagement with the undersurface .of said doctor blade adjacent its point of contact with said cylinder, and means to press said member upwardly against said blade and forwardLv toward the point of contact of said blade with said cylinder.

RICHARD A. KRAHMIER. 

